Former captain of Super Falcons, Florence Omagbemi, remains one of the most influential female footballers to come from the continent of Africa. From a tender age of eight, when she embraced soccer on the streets of Warri, Delta State, she grew to become the Commander-In-Chief of the national team, leading Nigeria to four FIFA World Cups - China 91, Sweden 95, USA 99 and USA 2003, one Olympic Games - Sydney 2000 - and three African Nations Cup victories. As a pioneer female football player in Nigeria, Omagbemi ruled the local scene, winning many league titles and FA Cups with the famous Ufuoma Babes of Warri as well as Pelican Stars of Calabar. She went on to set a record as the only African footballer to captain a national team for a record 13 years. Now a coach with the Beach FC Travel Soccer, she spoke with GOWON AKPODONOR from her base in Virginia, United States (U.S.), tracing the history of her soccer trade to Alero Primary School in Warri, down to Essi College, the University of Lagos and the lucrative WUSA League in the U.S., where she featured for Boston Breakers, the San Diego Spirit, Milligan College as well as Hampton Roads Piranhas, where she ended her club career.EVEN before she stepped into the premises of Alero Primary School in Warri in 1980, Florence Omagbemi had come in contact with football. Perhaps, what was not clear to her parents at the beginning was how far the young girl would go in the round leather game, which was only recognised as male game at that time. But in line with destiny, she flowed on with the game, playing street soccer with her brothers and friends, though she was doing it for fun.I started playing football when I was eight years old with my brothers and friends on the streets in Warri in Delta State, she could recall. As a kid, I was playing it for fun and most of the kids I usually played with were boys. We all lived on the same neighbourhood and attended the same school.In 1980, Omagbemi commenced elementary education at Alero Primary School and, according to her, going to school for the first time was fun: During the breaks, little kids want to run around with their friends, playing all kinds of fun games. I always run with kids that liked to kick football.At the age of 10, the young Omagbemi realised how good she could play the game in the midst of boys and she started developing more interest. She disclosed: I played more during school breaks and after school. My friends and peers always called me tomboy. During holidays, my brothers and friends used to organise street soccer tournaments. We picked the teams according to the street where we lived.The boys always wanted me on their team because I was very good and secondly, I was the only female among males. I could remember there was a time my brother and l hosted the street tournament and we had different teams in the competition. We picked the players according to their age and height.Omagbemis football career may have been planted at Alero, but it was watered and nurtured to stardom when she crossed to Essi College for post-elementary education in 1987. At Essi College, the young girl met new friends - both male and female - who loved the game of soccer. She came in contact with the likes of Sarah Okotie-Eboh, Patience Avre, Patience Abaretamu and Florence lweta. The group was among the first set of the female national team when Nigeria later embraced female soccer in the build-up to the maiden FIFA Women World Cup in China in 1991.The news of Omagbemi and other girls playing football with men soon spread round Warri and its environs. She narrates further: During school breaks, we used to play against boys. Our team became so popular and in a very short time, we were known all over the city. One of my most memorable games then was when the girls team played against the college boys. In the first game, we lost 1-2 but won the second game 1-0. It was an exciting game because most of our classmates and other students came out to watch us play.It was the beginning of her journey to stardom and the birth of female football in the country. As soon as the match ended, some of the boys introduced Omagbemi, Iweta and co to a male youth soccer coach, Napoleon Aluma. The encounter with coach Aluma turned things around for Omagbemi as she recalls: Napo was my first club coach. He is a great guy with great passion for the game of female football. He knows how to care for his players.Like the harmattan fire, the news of girls playing soccer in Warri soon got to Elder Eddington Kuejubola and he grabbed the opportunity by setting up the once conquering Ufuoma Babes FC, which was one of the pioneer female clubs to emerge, not only in Nigeria but the continent of Africa. With determination and eye for success, Kuejubola engaged the trio of coaches Aluma, Joenamie Temile and George Emenetie to handle Ufuoma Babes. He gave them the best of overseas training needed to stir the club to greater height.According to Omagbemi, the likes of Kuejubola and Aluma are the pioneers of female soccer in Nigeria: They did a lot for the game and they deserve a place in the present day to day administration of the game, she noted. From Warri, the news of Omagbemi and her female friends playing soccer soon spread to other parts of the country, thus signaling the emergence of clubs as Rivers Mermaids in Port Harcourt, Pelican Stars in Calabar, Jegede Babes in Lagos, Simbiat Abiola Babes in Abeokuta, Oladimeji Tigress in Ilorin, Kakanfo Queens in Abeokuta, Flying Angels, Nigeria Air Force Queens, Inneh Queens in Benin City and Omidiran Babes in Osogbo, among others.The defunct Nigeria Football Association (NFA) soon embraced the game by setting up the National League and FA Cup. The challenges of her academic career at Essi College not withstanding, Omagbemi was able to captain Ufuoma Babes successfully, winning many trophies, including the league titles and FA Cup. As the number of female football clubs increased, so were the players and the awareness.In no time, former First Lady, late Mariam Babangida, fell in love with the game, thus signaling what could be described as the golden age of female football in the country. Before this golden age, though, there was a female football club known as Sugar Babes Ladies FC, formed by Christopher Abisuga - a licensed English Grade Three referee in the late 1970s.But with the presidential cover from Mrs. Babangida and support from other notable Nigerians like the late Simbiat Abiola, coach Paul Hamilton and Ayo Omidiran, the game witnessed a rapid turnaround and the country was able to raise a team to compete in the qualifiers ahead the maiden FIFA Women World Cup in China in 1991. With a feeling of nostalgia, Omagbemi recalled: We played the first ever National Club Championship in 1990 in Lagos and the competition was sponsored by Princess Bola Jegede. There were eight teams in attendance.I was in school at Essi College and at the same time captain of Ufuoma Babes. We also had players like Phoebe Ebiemekuomo and Sarah Okotie-Eboh in the team. I still remember that Okunwa Igunbor played for Kakanfo Queens and Chioma Ajunwa was with Rivers Mermaids team. There was Adaku Okoroafor of Jegede Babes FC, Ngozi Ezeocha was playing for the Nigeria Airforce Queens and Ann Agumanu was the goalkeeper for Flying Angels at that time.We beat Jegede Babes 2-1 in the semi-final, while Rivers Mermaids defeated Kakanfor in the other semi-final game. The final showdown was between Ufuoma Babes and Rivers Mermaids and it took place at the (Lagos) National Stadium. The place was filled to capacity and the regular time ended 2-2 but we lost on penalty shootout. It was a game I wont forget in years to come.The football artistry displayed by the likes of Omagbemi, Ezeocha, Ajunwa and Igunbor at the national club competition in Lagos forced the NFA to assemble a national team. At the same time, the world football governing body had just conceived the ideal of holding the maiden FIFA Women World Cup in China.Again, Omagbemi recalled: There were so many good players around at that time. From Marvis Ogun to Nkiru Okosieme, Uche Eucharia, Rita Nwadike, Yinka Kudiasi, Omo Love Branch, Chioma Ajunwa, Phoebe Ebiemekuomo, Adaku Okoroafor and Ngozi Ezeocha, there were verities of players for the coaches to pick from for every match. I was made the captain and I was 16 years old at that time.We defeated Ghana 5-1 and qualified for the World Cup in China. I played in the attacking midfield and scored a goal in our 5-1 victory. It was a great match. I went on to captain the Super Falcons for 13 years and within this period we participated in four World Cups, one Olympic Games and three African Women Championships, which we won in 1998 in Abeokuta, 2000 in South Africa and 2002 in Warri, Delta State.Before quitting active football in 2003, Omagbemi attended the University of Lagos, where she obtained a diploma in Physical and Health Education in 1995. That was the year she led the Falcons to the second Women World Cup in Sweden. She also led the team to the third edition in USA 99 and soon after joined the lucrative WUSA League in America.At USA 99 World Cup, Omagbemi and the gang were able to bulldoze their way to the quarter-final stage. It was the first time Nigeria made it from the second round and the last so far. Nigerias opponent in the quarter-final was the dreaded Brazilian team, which was led by goal digger Sisleide Lima do Amor, simply known Sissi. Before the Falcons spread their wings to fly, the Samba girls had flapped them 1, 2, 3 goals, which were enough to demoralised them.It was one of the most memorable matches I played for the country, she said with relish. We were down 0-3 in the first half against Brazil in the quarter-finals and everyone thought we would be disgraced. As the team captain, I had to do something to salvage the situation. At half time, I told the players not to panic. I told them that the match was not over us yet.We came into the second half with determination and before the Brazilians could realise what was going on, we equalised 3-3. It was one of the biggest comebacks in female football history. I captained and played the defensive midfield role in the match. The match ended 3-3 and it went to extra time.Our keeper, Judith Chime, who came in the second half, was really at her best at that time. Brazil had a free kick not too far away from our post and Sissi, in her usual way, did the magic. Our keeper (Chime) followed the ball but it went into the net. It was a sudden-death goal and we were eliminated. The match was so painful in the sense that we came from 0-3 to equalise at 3-3 only to lose. But we have to take it.After the World Cup, Omagbemi moved to the U.S., where she featured for Boston Breakers and later joined San Diego Spirit before moving to Milligan College, where she excelled as collegiate soccer star. She was among the first set of African female footballers to play in the WUSA League. She later played for Hampton Roads Piranhas alongside Mercy Akide.Nicknamed skippo by admirers because of her excellent leadership quality in club and in national team, Omagbemi also led the Falcons to the Sydney 2000 women football event, the first by any African team. She was about going for the second Olympic Games in Athens when she sustained injury. She was nominated by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as African Footballer of the Year in 2000.Since quitting active soccer in 2003, she has been involved in coaching in the U.S. Two years ago, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) appointed her assistant coach to the national U-20 female team (the Falconets) in the build-up to the FIFA U-20 Championship in Germany. But the inability of the Sani Lulu-led board to enter into contract agreement with her prevented Omagbemi from coming down to Nigeria for the job.At the moment, she is coaching one of the best youth soccer clubs in Virginia, the Beach FC Travel Soccer. She led the team to capture the State Cup last year and has won several youth elite soccer tournaments with different age groups. She upgraded her coaching license with the U.S. soccer federation recently.Looking back to her days at Alero and Essi, Omagbemi said: We had difficulties convincing our parents and even our teachers at the initial stage because female football was not well known in Nigeria and Africa at that time. Everybody believed then that football was for male. To some people, females should not be allowed to play football due to cultural difference, belief among others.But here we are today. The game has become a source of livelihood for many girls and their families and I am very happy for the role I played. But one thing the government and people of Nigeria should do is to always remember those who laid the foundation whenever the need arises.
Click here to read full news..
